HMS AGINCOURT

I love the clean purposeful lines of the Battle Class with those elegant 4.5" turrets up forrard.
It's strange that ships as old as these Battle class had a double bedstead Air Waning radar, a height finder aft, a TI radar and Fire control director radars, better equipped as far as sensors than the Type 82 and 42 Air Defence ships when they were first commissioned.
They will have had a 3D situational awareness above water out to about 200 miles, whereas the 42's could do the same but only in 2D without the 909's.

An interesting insight Tomvart, thanks.

I agree, nice looking ships. The development of this type of radar picket was a long and tangled affair. During 1955 DND ( Director of Navigation and Direction) was concerned at the lack of early warning cover for fleet groups, following various exercises it was established that it would take 6 radar pickets to provide sufficient cover for a group. (nowadays task force), it was intended that a dedicated radar picket, the fleet Air direction escort (FADE) vessels would provide this cover, these vessels were to be large, near cruiser size, consideration was given to the fast minelayer Ariadne and cruiser Scylla be converted as trial ships for the FADE vessel, alas the project slipped and temporary measures were taken, initially the Tigers were considered, this being ruled out as they could not be spared, likewise Darings were too useful as fleet escorts, eventually the four weapon class were selected for a limited conversion (only as their full asw conversions were cancelled), whilst full conversions were carried out on the Battles. The Battles were best suited as they had capacity to add additional AC generator sets for the electronics and their stability allowed for the 965 radar, however they were delayed as the US supplied terminals from the MDAP programme slowed the process of conversion, in turn this lead to a reduced radar fitment as all aircraft were being converted to compatible UHF radios.
They were only ever a stop gap until more effective AEW was introduced, the radar also under MDAP, and the purpose built type 41 frigates.

Thanks FG, Interesting stuff, what was the MDAP programme?

Hi Tomvart, it was the post war US mutual defence assistance programme. just as well as they paid for a large chunk of our post war navy.